The
Xin Dynasty () was a
Chinese dynasty (although strictly speaking it had only one
emperor) which lasted from
9 to
23 AD. It followed the
Western Han Dynasty and preceded the
Eastern Han Dynasty.
The sole emperor of the Xin Dynasty,
Wang Mang (王莽), was the nephew of
Grand Empress Dowager Wang Zhengjun. After the death of her step-grandson
Emperor Ai in
1 BC, Wang Mang rose to power. After several years of cultivating a
personality cult, he finally proclaimed himself emperor in 9. However, while a creative scholar and politician, he was an incompetent ruler, and his capital
Chang'an was besieged by peasant rebels in 23 AD. He died in the siege, and the Han Dynasty was restored by descendants of the former imperial clan.